Conference showcases new ways to innovate
The second day of the INNOVEIT 2015 conference has opened in Budapest, bringing together over 600 entrepreneurs, researchers, policy makers, business leaders and students from across Europe to assess new ways to innovate.
The event in Hungary is considered one of Europe’s most important fora on innovation and is organised by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, an independent body of the EU set up to develop new ways to boost successful innovation and entrepreneurship.
Taking part in the first day of the conference was Tibor Navracsics, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, who said: “The European Commission has made restoring economic growth and job creation its main political priority. Innovation and education have a crucial role to play in this. The EIT is already making a valuable contribution: by fostering a more innovative and entrepreneurial culture and by leading to tangible results – for example helping to bring more than 120 new products and services to the market, creating 141 start-ups across Europe and training 472 graduates.
“We now need to build on these first results and decide how to ensure the EIT has an even bigger impact in the future. INNOVEIT provides a unique opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas that will help pave the way for the next steps.”
Other speakers at the EIT Innovation Forum include Birgitte Andersen, chief executive and co-creator of Big Innovation Centre, and Corinne Vigreux, co-founder and consumer business managing director of TomTom. Later today, the conference will host the 2015 EIT Awards, which will recognise the success of European innovators.
Speaking ahead of the awards and adding his thoughts, Peter Olesen, chair of the EIT governing board, said: “We have 17 enormously talented individuals with great ideas and ardent passion nominated for the EIT awards this year. They are tomorrow’s innovation leaders and I am certain they will each go on to emulate the success of previous winners.”
The conference takes places over three days until 7 May 2015.
